Three new Achnanthidium (Bacillariophyceae) species from Lake Salda (Anatolia, Turkey), a deep soda lake

[EN] Background and aims – Kützing separated the genus Achnanthidium from the genus Achnanthes based on two species: Achnanthes minutissima and Achnanthidium microcephalum. These two genera were distinguished by the presence of stalks in the Achnanthes genus and their absence in Achnanthidium. Before electron microscopy, the difference between Achnanthes and Achnanthidium was not clear, especially in Achnanthidium minustissimum sensu lato. The aim of the study is to describe three new species of Achnanthidium from Lake Salda. Material and methods – Lake Salda is located in southwestern Anatolia, in Turkey. The diatoms were collected seasonally from four stations in the lake between 2016 and 2020, from different substrata (epipelic, epiphytic, and epilithic). Key results – Three new species belonging to the genus Achnanthidium have been found in Lake Salda, Turkey. Based on the morphological observations, all new taxa are part of the Achnanthidium minutissimum complex. Achnanthidium barlasii sp. nov. and A. dumlupinarii sp. nov. show a high degree of similarity to each other, but can be separated based on valve outline and a denser areolation, especially in striae close to the apices of the raphe valve. Both species can be distinguished from A. minutissimum based on more separate apices and less elliptic valves. In the case of A. dumlupinarii sp. nov., large specimens show slight undulations of the valve, which is a unique feature. Achnanthidium anatolicum sp. nov. is the most characteristic based on its valve width, broadly rounded valve apices, and almost straight valves in girdle view. All newly described Achnanthidium species can be found in lentic environments, with alkaline water and high calcium ion content. Conclusion – The newly described taxa occurred in the unique habitat of a soda lake. The environment of the lake is highly alkaline, rich in magnesium and calcium, and derived from limestone and dolomitic limestone rocksS

Omdlenie i elektrokardiograficzne podejrzenie zawału serca z uniesieniem odcinka ST nad ścianą przednią – pomyśl o zespole Brugadów!

This is a case of 52-year-old male after episode of syncope and with atypical chest pain referred to hospital with acute anterior ST elevation myocardial infarction. Urgent coronary angiography showed normal coronary arteries and only ECG made the next day made us to suspect Brugada syndrome. The patient had ICD implanted and because of high defibrillation threshold, subcutaneous electrode implantation was decided. Our case highlights, that ECG changes in Brugada syndrome can mimic ST elevation in the course of acute coronary syndrome and that subcutaneous electrode implantation may be useful method of lowering defibrillation treshold.Prezentujemy przypadek 52-letniego mężczyzny, który po epizodzie omdlenia i bólu w klatce piersiowej trafił do szpitala z podejrzeniem ostrego zawału mięśnia sercowego z uniesieniem odcinka ST nad ścianą przednią. Pilna koronarografia wykazała prawidłowy obraz tętnic wieńcowych i dopiero elektrokardiogramy wykonane w kolejnych dobach doprowadziły nas do rozpoznania zespołu Brugadów. Pacjentowi implantowano kardiowerter-defibrylator a ze względu na wysoki próg defibrylacji konieczne było wszczepienie elektrody podskórnej. Przypadek naszego pacjenta przypomina, że zmiany w elektrokardiogramie w przebiegu zespołu Brugadów mogą naśladować uniesienie odcinka ST w przebiegu ostrego zespołu wieńcowego, a podskórna implantacja elektrody może być skuteczną metodą obniżania progu defibrylacji

Exploring the benefits of cold exposure in health and athletic performance - review of articles

Introduction and purpose: In recent years there has been an increase in scientific research regarding the body's exposure to low temperatures. The potential health benefits have captured the attention of both researchers and the general public. This article review provides an analysis of the existing literature concerning the impact of cold body exposure on health and athletic achievements. Material and methods: A review of the literature available in the "PubMed" database and books was conducted. The search was performed by using the following keywords: "cold exposure", "cryotherapy", "cold shower", "cold-water immersion" and "winter swimming". State of knowledge: Encountering low temperatures can be perceived as a physiological stressor. The body responds to this situation by activating adaptive mechanisms to maintain homeostasis, such as the activation of brown adipose tissue, improved glucose control and increased immune system activity. An increasing amount of data supports the positive impact of cold exposure on athletic performance. Potential benefits are indicated such as enhancing physical endurance through increased heat production and stimulation of the circulatory system, as well as facilitating faster body recovery. Results and Conclusions: The article review indicates a growing interest in the impact of cold exposure. While there are encouraging findings of positive effects, further research is necessary for better understanding and determining the optimal conditions for achieving maximum benefits. This information could have a significant impact on the development of training strategies and health prevention

Density Functional Theory Approach to Noncovalent Interactions via Interacting Monomer Densities

A recently proposed "DFT+dispersion" treatment (Rajchel et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 2010, 104, 163001) is described in detail and illustrated by more examples. The formalism derives the dispersion-free density functional theory (DFT) interaction energy and combines it with the dispersion energy from separate DFT calculations. It consists in the self-consistent polarization of DFT monomers restrained by the exclusion principle via the Pauli blockade technique. Within the monomers a complete exchange-correlation potential should be used, but between them only the exact exchange operates. The applications to wide range of molecular complexes from rare-gas dimers to H-bonds to pi-electron interactions show good agreement with benchmark values.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 2 tables, REVTeX

Troska o zdrowie w aspekcie społecznym. Cz. 2

Praca recenzowana / peer-reviewed pape

NGS analysis of collagen type I genes in Polish patients with Osteogenesis imperfecta: a nationwide multicenter study

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a rare genetic disorder of the connective tissue. It presents with a wide spectrum of skeletal and extraskeletal features, and ranges in severity from mild to perinatal lethal. The disease is characterized by a heterogeneous genetic background, where approximately 85%–90% of cases have dominantly inherited heterozygous pathogenic variants located in the COL1A1 and COL1A2 genes. This paper presents the results of the first nationwide study, performed on a large cohort of 197 Polish OI patients. Variants were identified using a next-generation sequencing (NGS) custom gene panel and multiplex ligation probe amplification (MLPA) assay. The following OI types were observed: 1 (42%), 2 (3%), 3 (35%), and 4 (20%). Collagen type I pathogenic variants were reported in 108 families. Alterations were observed in α1 and α2 in 70% and 30% of cases, respectively. The presented paper reports 97 distinct causative variants and expands the OI database with 38 novel pathogenic changes. It also enabled the identification of the first glycine-to-tryptophan substitution in the COL1A1 gene and brought new insights into the clinical severity associated with variants localized in “lethal regions”. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the clinical and genetic aspects of OI

User experience in the aspect of threats to digital security

Aim Characterization of user experience as a threat to cyber security and determination of the level of awareness of users of social networks in the aspect of sharing their data in the network are the goal of the research presented in the article. Methods In order to investigate the indicated problem, we applied one of the qualitative research methods - an individual in-depth interview based on the original scenario. The motivation to use this method is the need to receive the most detailed information from users. The research group includes 12 people aged between 19 and 25, who use social media on a daily basis. Results From the interviews we have obtained information about the respondents’ knowledge about the data they provide and we have determined which data is actually made available by them in the network. On this basis, we have determined the level of awareness of users in the examined aspect. In addition, we obtained information about the motivation of the respondents to share data on portals of this class, this allowed us to characterize the user experience as a threat to the security of the network. Summary The results of the research have shown that people who use social media on a daily basis show incomplete awareness of the data they provide on sites of this class. The direct cause of this phenomenon is the high level of usability of these systems and the positive user experience exerted by them. These factors make users willingly use social networking sites, while providing data about themselves, as a result of this fact they become the target of people using social engineering, eg in the process of agitation, and this is a threat to digital security